Take My Breath Away
by Lady Leonhart1
Summary: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.formerly titled R&R sugest a title please.
1. The Plan

Chapter 1  
  
The Plan  
  
  
  
The cafeteria of Balamb Garden bustled with students. It was the first day of summer  
  
vacation and everyone was saying there goodbye's before heading off to their homes around the  
  
world. The Orphanage Gang sat around a table in the back, staring at the students running around  
  
and laughing. Squall Leonhart sat with his head in his hands. "Squall, you all right?"  
  
  
  
He looked up at his fiancé, Rinoa Heartilly. "I'm fine." he forced a smile. He could tell  
  
though, he was fooling everyone but her. Her brow furrowed. Something wasn't right.   
  
  
  
Squall stood, "I'm gonna go for a walk."   
  
  
  
Immediately, Rinoa jumped up and proclaimed she was going along and chased him out of  
  
the cafeteria. Zell Dincht shook his head and finished off his 16th hotdog. Throwing the wrapper  
  
on the table he leaned back and belched. "Excuuuuuuse me." he grinned. "I am tired. I have to go  
  
to Ma's tomorrow. What's the plan after that?"  
  
"Going to Esthar." 


	2. ChaPteR 2

Chapter 2  
The angry boy, a bit too insane  
  
Icing over a secret pain  
-jumper 3rd eye blind  
  
The ocean rolled in ominous waves below the windows of the Ragnarok. After take off everyone had gone to the cock pit to hang out for the rest of the flight. All except one. Zell stayed in the Conference room, staring out his window. He shut his eyes and images flashed in his head.  
  
'Daddy?'  
  
'Daddy, are you awake?'  
  
His eyes shot open again. There were too many memories swarming in his head. He couldn't even blink without seeing that image.... He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that. Is there ever a time for that? His mind dared him. 'Stop it, Zell, it was 10 years ago. "Get over it!"'  
  
"Zell are you ok?" Quistis stood over him. 'When had she come in?' "You were yelling. I thought something was wrong."  
  
He put on one of his infamous smiles. "Naw, I'm good." His smile reassured her. She sat across from him. "Where is everyone?"  
  
"Well, Irvine is hanging over Selphie's shoulder being a backseat pilot." She laughed, "and Rinoa dragged Squall off somewhere, probably playing tonsil hockey. And we are here." She took a drag off her cigarette.  
  
"You know those things can kill you?"  
  
"You're point?" They sat in silence after that. Both in thought. Deep in thought. They both knew why they were going to Esthar. They were all running away.  
  
It had only been last summer when they had faced Ultamicia. Now, they were afraid of it happening again. ' We're all cowards...' Zell blinked. His eyes stayed shut longer than planned.  
  
'Daddy?'  
  
'Go back inside.'  
  
'Daddy, what's wrong?'  
  
'Zell, just go back inside ok. Go make cookies with mommy.'  
  
A tear leaked from Zell's eye. As his thoughts were interrupted by  
Irvine's voice over the p.a. system. "Now landing in Esthar."  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"Welcome!!!" Laguna Loire shouted as he ran down the hall of the Presidential Palace to greet his new guests. "This summer is going to be great! We have so much to do around here!"  
  
"I'm tired." Squall proclaimed in his usual tone. Laguna laughed and playfully punched his son's shoulder.  
  
"That's my son! Always a joker! Now come on I wanna show you the pool!" Laguna sprinted off, leaving the teenagers in his dust. Squall rolled his eyes. That man was a moron.  
  
Zell slung his back pack over his shoulder. "I'm off to find the kitchen." He started down the first hall he came to. He passed one giant window after another, without any sign of hotdogs. Finally he passed a room that looked to be a library. A girl, maybe a year younger than him sat in the middle of the floor, Indian-style, with a book spread open in her lap. Her head was down, causing her hair to fall down, covering her face. Maybe she knew where he could grab a bit to eat!  
  
"Hey." He said.  
  
The girl jumped and stared up at him for moment, looking as though she had just seen a ghost. "Uhm.." Zell continued, hesitantly, "I was wondering where the kitchen was."  
  
The girl jumped up, and he couldn't help noticing tight her tank top was. Mentally, he slapped himself. The girl whipped around, her hair twirling, and darted behind a shelf filled with books. "Hey!" Zell called after her. But, no use, she was gone. "Goddamn it!" 


	3. Mysteries and Memories

Chapter 3  
Mysteries and Memories  
  
The day had passed, quit quick thankfully. Zell had finally escaped from the crowded sitting room into the confines of the hallway to his room. Not paying attention he tripped on something. He caught himself and darted around to see what it was. 'A notebook. Goddamn it.' He picked it up, proceeding to open it in search of a name to whom it belonged.  
  
These are deepest and inward-most thoughts. I don't know why I'm writing this. Really I don't. I don't even what to write it. But since brother gave it to me before he died, I'll write in it anyway. ..... so what am I supposed to write? I don't have any goals, don't have any secrets that I WANT to right down. I can remember them all safe in my head, thank you. Geez......  
Breathing into darkness  
Consumed by nothing right  
where do we go from here  
I wish someone had taken the time  
To show me which way to go  
I need a chance to run  
A chance to run away  
I need a place to hide  
But no one will show me the way.  
Take me away.  
I want to find a place  
where we wont leave a single trace  
and no one will tell us how to live.  
No one will tell us how to  
live.  
  
"Wow. Deep." Zell had read it all the way down the hall and into his bedroom. He flung himself into bed and grabbed his flashlight out of his back pack. And started reading the journal some more. Whoever this girl was, she was deep. Zell reread the poem. "Wow..." He turned off the flash light and drifted off to sleep. .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. 'Daddy?'  
  
'Daddy... daddy what's wrong?'  
  
'Zell.. Daddy's not feeling very good, we'll go fishing tomorrow. Ok?'  
  
'No, it's not ok daddy...' .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. 'Whatcha doin' daddy?' 'Just doing the laundry' "Whatcha drinking?'  
  
'Nothing, now go inside.'  
  
'Can I have some?'  
  
'No dammit I said go inside!'  
  
'Daddy!' .:.:.:.;.:.:.;.:.;.  
  
"Anybody seen Zell? He's never been this late for a meal?" Rinoa asked when they had all gathered for breakfast in the kitchen. There was a dining room but Laguna proclaimed it 'To fancy for food fights'.  
  
"I wouldn't worry, he's also been known to sleep in."Selphie giggled.  
  
"I just love hearing you laugh." Irvine swooned.  
  
"Oh, Irvy." Selphie blushed, and began shoveling down her scrambled eggs. Zell walked into the kitchen, his hair gelled in the usual position, nothing about him out of place.. No one would suspect a thing. He hoped.  
  
"So what's the plan for today?" He asked, grabbing a muffin and leaning on the island-counter. All eyes turned to him."What do I have something in my teeth?" He began to pisck at his teeth.  
  
"Zell.... Your arm is bleeding." Squall stated. "What happened?"  
  
Zell looked down at his upper left arm. There was no doubt. That was definetly blood coming out from under his shirt sleeve. "Oh, that?" he laughed "I fell off the bed when my alarm clock went off this morning; hit my arm on the night stand." He continued to laugh while grabbing napkins and pressing them under his sleeve. "So what's up for today?"  
  
"Selph, Quistis, and I are checking out a couple museums then tonight hitting some clubs." Irvine replied. "Squall, Laguna and Rin are going out shopping."  
  
"Rin's idea." Squall mumbled.  
  
"You know you'll have fun!" Rinoa laughed. "We always do!"  
  
"Ok," Zell bit his lip. "I guess I'll just hang out here for the day."  
  
"You can come with us, you know, Zell." Quistis offered. "It's not like we weren't planning on inviting you." Zell shook his head.  
  
"Naw, it's all good." Zell grinned, "I've got jet lag anyway. Killer tired. I'll probably head down to the gym a little later." 


	4. God sent me an angel

Chapter 4  
  
God Send me an Angel,  
  
From the Heaven's above  
  
Send me an Angel to heal my broken heart  
  
-Send me an angel, Amanda Perez  
  
"I wonder what's up with Zell." Selphie wondered out loud, as she walked past a window display of SeeD Action Figures. Irvine's brows furrowed under his cowboy hat.  
  
"I wouldn't worry about him. He probably just feels a little out of place." Quistis suggested. "You know, with us always doing our own thing, and Squall and Rinoa off doing whatever it is they do–."  
  
"We don't wanna think about that." Irvine cringed. The girls laughed, forgetting all about Zell.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
A bare fist connected with the punching bag in the Palace's gym. Spots of blood hit the cement floor below the bag. Zell clenched his fists harder with each strike. He was getting used to them all making plans without him. After all, after the whole Ultemecia thing he had pushed them all away. They all had gotten back to their own lives, with their boyfriends and girlfriends, what did he have? No one really. He often went to stay with his mother in Balamb. Staying there for days on end.   
  
  
  
He went to strike again. A hand came from nowhere, grabbing his wrist to stop him. "You're going to brake your hand." A girl's voice said. The voice shocked him. It was neither harsh nor kind, but yet it held a sadness that he couldn't place. He could tell by just her voice that time and experience had broke her down.   
  
Zell wrenched his arm from her grasp. "You've already got blood all over the floor, you're knuckles are probably broken already." The girl from the library frowned.   
  
He punched it again. "Nope, not broken." He turned to face her. She had distinct features of a Japanese girl, her wide eyes an unusual shade of violet.   
  
She rolled her eyes and shot him a smile. "Sorry about that thing in the library the other day. Kiros didn't think it would be good if I kind of mingled with you guys. You know since you're SeeD and all." Her expression showed him that she couldn't elaborate. "That and I was in my pj's." Zell laughed and rubbed his knuckles. "Come on. I'll bandage 'em up."  
  
Once they were seated at on the side of the tub in her bathroom, Zell took the time to take in all of her features. Her hair was blonde and pulled up into a curls on the crown of her head, all except for her bangs that covered her eyebrows and curved down around her face, with clumps of long hair in the front that reached her shoulders. Her eyebrow, and lip, on the left side, were pierced. "Oh.. Yeah.. I'm Zell Dincht." He introduced himself. "I'd shake your hand, but.."  
  
"It's alright. Don't sweat." She laughed. "Nastasaife Frantiska. But everyone just calls me Stacie." Zell raised his eyebrows. "It means Rebirth of a great warrior woman of freedom."  
  
She blushed. "My parents were Revolutionaries. Freedom Fighters."   
  
"That explains the name." Zell teased. She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh. "Well then, Stacie, what could have been so bad that you have to hide from us."  
  
Her smile faded. "Kiros didn't want me to. Laguna agreed with him, after quite a bit of protest." She looked at the floor. Then brightened, "But looks like that plan is out the window."   
  
"There. All better." She said as she finished wrapping the knuckles on his left hand.   
  
An awkward silence fell over the two teens. "I better go." Stacie whispered to the floor. "See you around."  
  
"Yeah, see you around." 


End file.
